When I released Dust of the American Pixel back in 2009, I realized there was a fair degree of self-indulgence going on. I was able to make the album I wanted to make since I was a geeky kid, complete with the big, concept-album themes and accompanying epic sounds. It is fair to say that it had some serious Floyd / Waters influences going on, as well as a bit of the more prog side of Radiohead and the like. I succeeded in self-producing it and even manufacturing it myself, which was its own experience. And while I’m not happy with it as a whole as I am compared with my latest album, “In Transit,” I feel it is something worth revisiting from time to time as it seems to be standing up quite well.

One thing I was able to really do that I don’t know if many people know about is the “Pixelbomb Puzzle” that is hidden within the work. This puzzle really is, in many ways, more interesting than the album itself. What I embarked upon was this idea that there were hidden codes in the music, the linear notes, the videos and such that would lead the intrepid listener through a series of clues and destinations that would unlock an alternative version of the album. Think of it as a Di Vinci code-like treasure hunt with the reward being a new album.

The first clues were in the video for “The American Pixel Part 2.” If you watch the video, you see the kids holding up a series of signs. A serious fan soon figured out that the signs were related to a common wordset, which if you took them over to pixelbomb.org and entered them as a password, you would be taken to a new destination on the web and the fun would really begin.

The password is also disclosed in the very opening of the record in Morse Code. The answer is stonestaticblue.

So as I said, if you enter that into the puzzle password field at pixelbomb.org, you will be taken to a new site, the fictitious fanatical environmentalist site for” The REAL Report,” home of Martin Trigo and his Radical Environmental Action League. There is some rich content here. Funny shit if I do say so myself. And, it is here that you find the first alternate track, an acoustic version of the record-opening “Electric Primitive Reaction,” whose opwning line is, “You call that a real report?” Get it?

There is no real problem to solve here, no puzzle. All you need to do is fil out the “Join Us” form and you’re taken to the next clue.

So why am I divulging all this now? Well, when I first put out the record I really didn’t promote it very well, and I hadn’t worked on this part as much as I should have. And frankly, people were kinda clueless to the puzzle’s existence in the first place. So now you know. And there’s another reason:

Today is Pi Day.

The next clue is located in the above video, and the song is, fittingly, “Innocence or Pi.” It features my great niece Sophie – ain’t she cute? The clue is in there somewhere. I hope you are into the challenge. Watch it and see what you can find.

Also, just FYI, there is a “lost track” for this record that was never recorded, the epic finale which is, in my mind at least, one of the best songs I’ve ever penned. Never heard by anyone and the fitting coda to this little art project. Get through the entire puzzle and this song will be uncovered.

How good are you? How smart are you? Channel your OCD and see what you can come up with. The harder you try the more fun we’ll have. Good luck and thanks for caring

~gz

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’m excited to bring you my first ever video blog. I figured I’d start out by giving you a tour of my home studio, complete with a bit of an explanation about how I get around using various assistive technologies like screen magnifiers and the like. Let me know what you think….

Click here to view the embedded video.

My dear friend Rick Myers, who was instrumental in working with and managing my first real band, Some People’s Children back ion the 80’s, has directed a video for the title track of my album, “In Transit”. I think it is pretty cool. Rick, of course, can do a much better job describing the process and all, so I turn it over to him to tell the story. Enjoy! -gz

George first mentioned the idea for a video while he was still finishing the recording of the album “In Transit.”  He’s seen some test footage I had and wanted to shoot video using a moving high-speed camera shooting at 120 frames per second.  When he was ready for the video, we revisited that concept, but the idea of shooting crazy video with a high-speed camera mounted on a Glide Cam in a functioning international airport seemed like a bad idea.  Getting permission might be possible, but the time and restrictions would be many, and shooting ‘guerrilla’  style was out of the question.  I didn’t think the TSA would appreciate me running through a terminal at MSP with a strange looking high-speed camera on a steady rig!

So, we talked a bit about some of the video tricks we used years ago with George’s band, Some People’s Children.  SPC made extensive use of video clips during live shows, and most of that was ‘found’ footage from a wide variety of sources.  I suggested we take some stock footage and manipulate it to fit the song.  He agreed and I began searching for footage, mostly notably from the Prelinger Archives.  I started collecting pile of footage of vintage aircraft, films showing airports from the late 40s through the mid 60s.  Then came the question, “What would it look like if Stanley Kubrick made a music video?”

It seemed to fit.  The song, “InTransit,” is a slow-paced, almost dreamy song, and Kubrick was known for letting a shot linger.  Plus, as we sorted the various clips, it became clear we would do the whole thing in stark black and white (with the exception of the very first and very last shot).  The video is the playback of a very old and broken hologram.  There are practically no shots that have not been altered in some way, sped up, slowed down, even played backwards.  Dozens and dozens of clips bounced back and forth between Premiere Pro and After Effects in a process that became known as ‘time phucking.’  The video hints at a storyline without really providing any details.  It’s what is left, bits and pieces of memories.

The CGI blimp is courtesy of Stan Bissinger, owner of Apparition 3D.  As always, the stunt llamas were trained by Llama Fresh Farms, Ltd. in Paraguay.

- Rick Myers, Director/Editor